Protecting-armor for airplanes.



H. J. DE ROSA.

PROTECTING ARMOR FOR AIRPLANES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23. I918.

1,287,91 O. Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

HUMIBERTO J. DE ROSA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROTEGTING-ARMOR FOR AIRPLANES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 1'7, 1918.

Application filed February 23, 1918. Serial No. 218,888.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HUMBERTO J. DE Rosa, acitizen of the Uni-ted States, residing at New York, in the county ofNew York and State of New York, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Protecting-Armor for Airplanes, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to war aircraft, and the main object of the sameis to provide aircraft of the airplane type intended for war serviceswith means for protecting the same against serious damage or injury fromthe missiles ejected by the rifles, machine-guns and other anti-aircraftdevices of the enemy.

Another object of the invention is to provide the airplane withprotector devices adapted'to yield limitedly under the explosive forcesof shells, bombs and the like, so that the same are less likely tobecome damaged in such manner as to seriously interfere with the flightof the craft, so that the force or brunt of nearby explosions will beabsorbed and diminished to a great extent before reaching the supportingplanes and body portion of the machine.

,With these objects and others in view, the invention resides in thedetails of construction and in the arrangement and combination of partshereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, and in which 2- a V Figure 1 is aperspective underneath view of an airplane, showing the same equippedwith my protector devices.

Fig. 2 is a fragmental side elevation, partly in section, the view beingtaken approximately in the direction of the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar view, but taken approximately in the direction ofthe line 3-3 of Fig.1.

In the accompanying drawings, I illustrate an airplane of the biplanetype including an elongated body portion 10, with the usual mainsuperposed supporting planes or wings 11 and 12. Into any suitable stoutand rigid elements of the skeleton frame structure of the body portion,preferably longitudinal strip or girder elements as 13, I thread orotherwise secure in spaced apart position, as will be hereinafter mademanifest, depending bolts as 14 having relatively large integral headsas 15 formed on their lower ends. These bolts are thus secured spacedapart in pairs, alined transversely of the body portion, each'pair beingso spaced from the adjacent pairs that the protector plates as 16, whenapplied, are held in edge to edge position, with portions of thelongitudinal edges of each over-- lapping the adjacent longitudinal edgeportions of its neighbor.

Thus in Figs. 2 and 3, it will be bestobserved that the oppositelylongitudinal edges of the plates 16 are formed alternately with recessesas 17 and tongues as 18, so that they tongue of one edge is adapted tofit in the recesses of the adjacent edge; and also it will be observedin this connection that the plates 16 are supported intermediate theirwidths by said bolts, which project through relatively large eyes orapertures as 19 pro vided for the purpose in the plates. the heads 15 ofthe bolts being considerably larger than the openings 19, to engage theunderneath surfacesof the plates, whereby the same are supported. Theplates 16 are normally forced against the heads 15 of the bolts by meansof spiral springs as 20, which are mounted around the bolts, theopposite ends of the springs bearing, respe7-- tively, against theunderneath side of the supporting elements as 13, and against the topside of the supported plates 16 around the eyes or apertures 19.

Thus supported, these plates 16, under a sufliciently vigorous explosionfrom below to produce the compression of the springs 20, are adapted tobe forced upwardly for a limited distance upon their bolts in an obviousmanner. These plates 16 are made preferably of steel of such grade andof such thickness as to prevent the missiles of the average rifles,machine-guns and anti-aircraft guns from penetrating them at anyconsiderable distance above the surface of the earth. The whole body as10 of the airplane is thus protected underneath by the steel plates 16,arranged for yielding movement, in edge to edge formation, thelongitudinal sides of the adjacent plates overlapping, as described asshown.

To the skeleton framework of the lower main supporting wing 11 aresecured on its underneath side in any appropriate manner, fixed stoutstrip elements or girders as 21. In the embodiment of the inventionherein shown, these strips or girders are supported from ri 'd elementsof the skeleton frame parts 0 the wing as 22, by means of the shortblock connections 23 and obliquely inclined braces 24:. Theselongitudinal strips 21 are employed to support in edge to edgeformation, transverse the width of the plane,

steel plates as 16, by means of the headed bolts 14, and the spiralsprings 20, in pre cisely the same manner as such plates are used toprotect the body portion 10. Appropriate openings ase25 are providedthrough the plates 16 for the proper underneath projection in the usualway, of the frame elements 26 for the support of the running gear 27,there also being provided through the proper plates at the rear of themachine, an opening 28 to accommodate the projection of the runner 29.

It is pointed out in this connection that when the airplane is inflight, the plates 16 occupy invariably an angular position with respectto'any particular part or region of the surface of the earth, and thatthe line of incidence will be sufficient to cause or to tend to causethe deflection of the attaching missiles. ejected from the anti-aircraftguns upon the surface of the earth. The'main exception to this is, ofcourse, where the airplane hovers perpendicularly over an attackingforce or in such position that the projected missiles can strike theplates at right-angles. But in this latter case it will be obvious thatas soon as the aviator finds he is passing over an attacking party, hecan steer his airplane in -a zig-zag course, first upwardly and thendownwardly, in such manner as to bring his machine, and according theplates 16 at an angle with respect to the position of the attackingparty for the purpose of deflecting the missiles.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. In an air lane,the combination with the body of t e machine and supporting planescarried thereby, of metallic protector plates yieldably supported fromthe underneath side of the body and from the underneath side-of thesupporting planes thereof, said protector plates being so supported inedge to edge formation transverse the body and transverse said planes,as and for the purpose specified.

2. In an airplane, the combination with the body of the machine andlower supporting planes carried thereby, of metallic protector platesyieldably supported intermediate their widths from the underneath sideof the body portion and from the underneath side of the lower planesthereof, the meeting edges of said protector plates being alternatelyformed with coiiperating recesses and tongues so that the tongue of eachplate projects into the recess of the adjacent plate, said protectorplates being so supported and arranged transverse the body portion andtransverse said lower planes, as and for the purpose specified.

3. In an airplane, the combination with the body of the machine andsupporting planes carried thereby, of bolt supports depending by setsspaced from each other from fixed elements of the body and supportingplanes upon the underneath side thereof,

said bolts being formed with enlarged inte-' gral heads on their lowerends, metallic protector plates mounted intermediate their widths uponsaid bolts and supported upon the enlarged heads thereof, spring meansmounted upon said bolts to yieldably hold said plates tight upon saidheads, said protector plates being supported in edge to edge formation,as and for the purpose specified. In testimony whereof I have signed myname to this specification.

HUMBERTO J DE ROSA.

